JOHNSBURG – An Elgin-based construction management firm will oversee the referendum-funded overhaul of District 12 facilities.

The School District 12 Board unanimously picked Lamp Incorporated at its meeting Tuesday evening to serve as the construction management firm for the planned improvements and maintenance at the district's schools.

The work also will include the closure of James C. Bush Elementary and the upgrading of Johnsburg Junior High School campus to accommodate those students.

The estimated $41 million worth of improvements will be paid for using voter-approved bonds. The exact amount the district can take out will be based on a cap that ties how much districts can borrow to property values.

The School Operations Committee recommended Lamp Incorporated to the board after 45-minute interviews with three finalist firms, board Vice President Scott Rowe said.

Rowe was impressed by the firm's "extensive experience" in northeastern Illinois, its experience with schools and its emphasis on site control and safety – an important point, Johnson added, due to the public nature of the buildings, which are accessed all the time by different groups.

Lamp Incorporated worked on the addition and renovation at Algonquin Middle School, the District 158 expansion to house full-day kindergarten, the Jacobs High School addition and renovation and the Huntley High School athletic improvements, according to its website.

It also conducted District 12's facilities assessment three years ago, Johnson said.

Ian Lamp, the firm's vice president of marketing and sales, also highlighted the way the firm ends the project: by digitally providing the district with all the bids, qualification reports, equipment manuals and training videos so they are completely accessible and usable after the project is done.

"I think we [the School Operations Committee] were comfortable that we would get what we expect," Rowe said, adding that he feels "not the least bit tentative" about the pick.